Each summer season, the Midwest Scouts Affiliation, which is made up of scouting personnel from all 30 main league organizations, invitations 50 highschool gamers from all through the area to take part in a two-day occasion in Kansas Metropolis. The occasion encompasses a showcase portion on the Kansas Metropolis Royals’ City Youth Academy, in addition to a seven-inning doubleheader the next day at Kauffman Stadium. It’s a unbelievable alternative to get a snapshot of how most of the prime highschool prospects in subsequent yr’s draft class look going into their senior yr, with a handful of incoming juniors within the combine as properly. The gamers are listed right here so as of my choice based mostly solely on my look from this explicit occasion. With that, let’s check out some 2025 draft-eligible Midwest prep prospects.
Place Gamers
Landon Schaefer, SS, Fayetteville, ARSchool Dedication: Arkansas
Schaefer is dedicated to his hometown Razorbacks, however he’s going to get a whole lot of consideration from newbie scouts main as much as the 2025 draft. He has a lean, athletic body that leaves loads of room to challenge on each his physique and his instruments. He hits out of an upright, sq. setup, and makes use of an abbreviated leg kick to set off his lengthy stride. Schaefer has a deep hand load that produces a 45-degree bat angle, which generates loft as he whips it via the hitting zone with above-average bat pace. He flashed above-average uncooked energy to the pull aspect throughout batting follow and persistently did a pleasant job of incorporating his decrease half in his hacks.
Defensively, Schaefer reveals delicate fingers that look greater than able to staying up the center on the grime. He controls his 6-foot-3 body properly when ranging laterally, and whereas he isn’t overly twitchy, there’s a touch of quick-twitch in his actions, that are easy and fluid total. Proper now, Schaefer has fringe-average arm energy at greatest, however given how projectable his body is and the way good of an athlete he’s, it’s secure to anticipate that he’ll have at the least common arm energy sooner or later. Whereas there are some issues to level to relating to whether or not he stays at shortstop long-term, the actions, physique management, and fingers he displayed give me confidence that he’ll be at the least an above-average defender at second base if he finally strikes off shortstop. Total, it’s a well-rounded profile that brings worth on each side of the ball, and I feel there will probably be fairly a little bit of buzz round Schaefer previous to subsequent yr’s draft.
Jackson Akin, SS, Lee’s Summit, MOSchool Dedication: Oklahoma
Akin has a really projectable, lean, long-levered physique, and it’s obvious his body nonetheless has vital long-term energy potential. He hits out of a barely open, semi-crouched stance and makes use of a easy stride to get to a sq. place at launch. Akin has a straightforward, rhythmic hand load, and a bat path that stays within the zone for an prolonged interval whereas additionally creating loft. His stable bat pace and path confirmed above-average uncooked energy throughout batting follow, each to the pull aspect and to the middle of the diamond.
Throughout Akin’s stay at-bats, he was at occasions liable to increasing out of the zone in opposition to spin, however the projectability of his hit and energy instruments is interesting. Defensively, Akin confirmed common fingers, together with his compact arm path at the moment producing fringe-average keep on his throws. He’ll seemingly come off shortstop sooner or later, however the projection in his offensive profile is the principle attraction.
Cole Pladson, OF, Clay Heart, KSSchool Dedication: Oklahoma State
Pladson hits out of a sq., balanced stance with a high-hands setup. It’s a repeatable operation within the field, with a leg raise stride and a rhythmic, medium hand load, and his excessive again elbow throughout his load creates loft in his path via the zone. Pladson does a pleasant job sustaining a nonetheless head all through his swing and in addition reveals really feel for manipulating the barrel within the zone. He showcased solid-average bat pace and uncooked energy, which confirmed up in sport motion for a pull aspect homer.
Pladson confirmed fringe-average arm energy in the course of the defensive portion of the exercise and ran a 6.64 second 60-yard sprint. It’s an intriguing profile that appears to supply a projectable, well-rounded offensive ability set. Pladson is a prospect I feel has notable helium potential. He’s a reputation to maintain tabs on all through this fall and subsequent spring.
Money Williams, C, Choctaw, OKSchool Dedication: Tennessee
Williams has an athletic, medium construct with room so as to add energy sooner or later, however he doesn’t have a very projectable body. Williams will get his cash’s price with each swing he takes, whether or not it’s in batting follow or in opposition to stay pitching, and despite the fact that he takes huge hacks, his swing isn’t uncontrolled and he isn’t utterly missing in barrel consciousness. Williams makes use of a giant leg kick and prolonged stride to generate leverage, with the quantity of loft in his path geared for placing the ball within the air. It’s 50-grade bat pace via the zone, and Williams already reveals common uncooked energy that initiatives to above common within the close to future.
Williams had agile actions behind the plate, however his receiving can get inflexible at occasions and he has bother sticking borderline pitches. Between how properly he strikes and the caliber of athlete he’s, there’s loads of motive to suppose his defensive profile will pattern upward. Williams additionally confirmed above-average arm energy, and I had a 1.96 second pop time on him throughout sport motion regardless of the throw being a bit off the bag. He’s previous for his class, and fashions will ding him closely for that, however he had a great total displaying at this occasion.
Pitchers
Cam Appenzeller, LHP, Springfield, ILSchool Dedication: Uncommitted
FB: 89-93 / SL: 77-80 / CH: 82-84
A rangy, lean, and projectable left-hander, Appenzeller confirmed a three-pitch combine from a low three-quarters arm slot. Along with his projectable body, his total supply is fluid, repeatable and really starter-like. Appenzeller additionally has above-average hip/shoulder separation, offering additional motive to dream on how a lot velocity there may very well be within the tank for a fastball that at the moment sits 89-93 mph with stable tail and sinking motion. His breaking ball usually took the form of a hybrid curveball/slider providing, with late tilting motion and flashes of above-average enamel. He was additionally capable of preserve correct arm pace on a number of changeups he threw, together with his greatest ones displaying common fade and depth.
Given how a lot physique and stuff projection there may be in his profile, Appenzeller will undoubtedly draw a whole lot of seems from groups main as much as subsequent yr’s draft. Regardless of solely getting a one-inning look, Appenzeller’s really feel for command was obvious, as he landed each of his secondary pitches within the zone and flashed really feel for finding his heater on each corners.
Grady Westphal, RHP, Leawood, KSSchool Dedication: Texas A&M
FB: 90-93 / SL: 80-83 / CH: 85-87
Westphal is a high-waisted, lean, projectable right-hander who nonetheless has a major quantity of room on his body for future energy positive factors. Westphal throws from a three-quarters slot. His medium arm circle has a slight stab in its path, however his barely open stride path is a much bigger purple flag to me than something about his arm path. His fastball sat within the low 90s, with carry via the zone that permits it to play above the speed, and it’s more likely to see additional positive factors because the body provides energy.
His breaking ball has three-quarters form with two-plane motion, and he broke off a pair with spin charges north of three,000 rpm. He did present a bent to throw the providing from a decrease slot than his fastball, which is one thing he’ll want to scrub up and get extra in step with. Westphal additionally threw a few changeups that mirrored his fastball arm pace, which produced fade and sinking motion. Westphal’s projectable fastball and present capability to spin a breaking ball make him an intriguing arm to comply with this fall and subsequent spring.
Tyler Wooden, RHP, Lee’s Summit, MOSchool Dedication: Tennessee
FB: 92-95 / SL: 77-80
Wooden is an athletic, lean two-way participant who shined essentially the most on the mound throughout this explicit occasion. He confirmed above-average arm pace and throws from a excessive three-quarters slot. His 92-95 mph four-seam fastball confirmed stable carry via the zone (18-20 induced vertical break), and he did a pleasant job of filling up the zone together with his heater. His greatest sliders had been two-plane breakers that flashed above-average chunk; they shorten up a bit when he will get on the aspect of them. Wooden additionally confirmed a changeup throughout his warmups, however I didn’t have him throwing one throughout sport motion.
The already current athleticism and stuff make Wooden an intriguing pitching prospect, and his ceiling on the mound seems to be considerably larger than it’s within the outfield. He’ll be a enjoyable one to look at all through his senior yr.
Brody Irlbeck, LHP, Kansas Metropolis, MOSchool Dedication: Iowa
FB: 90-92 / CB: 74-76 / CH: 79
Irlbeck has a thin, underdeveloped construct that would result in vital velocity/stuff positive factors as soon as it matures. He throws from a low three-quarters slot with a prolonged, fluid arm circle that’s unfastened and fast, which contributes to his fastball sneaking up on hitters regardless of sitting 90-92 mph. His heater additionally flashed notable late tailing motion that generated some whiffs within the zone. A number of space scouts who’ve extra historical past with Irlbeck and have seen him extra occasions in particular person advised me that his command has been shaky in years previous however has been trending up extra lately. On this explicit one-inning outing, he persistently commanded the ball to each side of the plate and successfully elevated as properly. His curveball had 1-to-7 form with various levels of depth, nevertheless it commonly confirmed common tightness. He solely threw two changeups, each of which confirmed late fading motion and had been thrown with high quality arm pace.
Irlbeck had a pointy inning of labor however essentially the most interesting facet of his profile is the diploma to which you’ll be able to challenge on him. Not solely is his body extremely projectable, however his plus hip/shoulder separation and the fluidity in his arm motion make it a great wager there’s greater than just a bit velocity on the horizon for him. If Irlbeck’s command continues to pattern upwards and is constant whereas doing so, this very properly is perhaps a reputation with helium previous to subsequent yr’s draft.
